We are proposing a 1 year planning grant entitled ?Plan for Strengthening Research and Training in Non- Communicable Diseases in Vietnam (PSORT-NCDs-VN)?. Vietnam has been facing an increasing burden from NCDs over the last several decades, with notable increases in the morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes. To combat this emerging epidemic, Vietnam urgently needs to strengthen its research capacity in NCDs of clinical and public health importance and develop a carefully designed research training program in NCDs. This planning grant will create a new Non-Communicable Disease Research and Training Center (NCD-RTC) in the Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, at Hanoi Medical University (HMU) and a plan for novel research training programs in NCDs with a primary focus on CVD. This program will be designed and carried out in close collaboration with established investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), a leading U.S. medical school with well-established research and training programs in NCDs/CVD. The mission of the NCD-RTC will be to provide a home for clinical investigation and training that consolidates resources to: 1) recruit, educate, and train physicians, nurses, and biomedical scientists in NCDs/CVD research; 2) facilitate the design and conduct of clinical research studies in NCD, particularly CVD, by local independent investigators; and 3) improve the application of evidence-based research to inform the development and implementation of contemporary prevention and treatment guidelines for NCDs. Our specific aims include the following: Aim 1. Assess existing research and training programs in NCDs, with a focus on CVD, at HMU and its clinical partner, the HMU hospital. For this aim we will evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and overall quality of current research and training programs in the primary and secondary prevention of NCDs/CVD to identify present gaps, and opportunities for strengthening research and training in NCDs/CVD. Aim 2. Establish a new NCD-RTC at HMU .For this aim, we will utilize the strong institutional commitments of HMU and HMU hospital to provide support to facilitate NCD research studies and we will define the leadership and organizational structure of the NCD-RTC. We will design the NCD-RTC to facilitate working relationships with existing departments, institutes, centers, and hospitals in the organization, and expand upon present strong collaborations with clinical research and training centers at the UMMS to adapt their research and educational training programs in NCDs/CVD for Vietnam. Aim 3. Develop a research and training program in NCDs/CVD that fits Vietnam's needs and resources by: (a) developing new research methods and content courses, focusing on NCDs/CVD, that would be offered to non-degree and degree students, with access for students, physicians, nurses, and clinical investigators; (b) enhancing current Masters and Ph.D. Programs with a focus on NCDs/CVD by integrating NCDs/CVD research methods courses in the existing curriculum; and (c) developing a plan for a new Postdoctoral Fellowship and Clinical Research Scholars Program, following the existing T32 and KL2 models at the UMMS, which would provide rigorous research training, together with financial and mentoring support, to junior investigators interested in careers devoted to NCDs/CVD research. This planning grant is crucial for Vietnam to prepare a future grant application which would contribute to long-term teaching and research programs in NCDs for Vietnam in the next several decades.